This invention relates to a telephone apparatus which provides a variety of system services using a voice recording and the like.
Various system services using a telephone are available in the art. For example, when a user inputs a dial number by entering a special number of pressing a special key during a telephone call, the number is stored in memory. Then, at the time of a subsequent outgoing call, the stored number is used as a dial number. This is a so-called "memo dial" service. Further the following services are available for starting a voice recording device by entering a special number of pressing a special key:
(1) "Audio Response": This is a service in which an incoming call is answered by a pre-recorded message. More specifically, necessary voice information (a message) is recorded in advance and is used to respond to an incoming call from another extension or outside line. The voice information from the programmer actuating the voice recording device (an audio response unit or the like) is recorded, or the voice information is recorded in a fixed manner. This is a function which allows an unspecified large number of individuals to hear the message. PA1 (2) "Audio Message": This is a service in which a message is transmitted by voice. That is, the voice recording device is used as a voice message board. This is a function in which the individual actuating the voice recording device records audio message information and another party listens to the message information. PA1 (3) "Conversation Recording/Playback": This is a service in which the audio of a telephone conversation is recorded and the recorded conversation is played back. According to this function, the voice information of the user and the other party in a telephone conversation is recorded and subsequently played back. More specifically, the voice information of the individual who the party communicating with the individual who has actuated the voice recording device is recorded and the individual subsequently listens to the recorded voice information.
Another system service is one in which charges are calculated independently without receiving billing information from a line. More specifically, various information such as speed dial numbers (on a system basis), time per call and telephone numbers which may be called free of charge is provided as working data, and the charge of a call on an outside line is calculated in pseudo-fashion (i.e., calculating a change at a telephone terminal or PBX independently of billing information sent from a central office) using this information as well as a timekeeping device. As a result, the user is capable of referring to the calculated data in the format shown in FIG. 19.
With the conventional telephone apparatus described above, it is required that the user perform a clearly defined operation when a system service is provided. When the user does not know a special number or when no special key has been assigned, the system service cannot be received.
In the conversation recording/playback function described above, the arrangement is such that only the person starting the voice recording device is capable of playing back a recording. This arrangement is adopted from the viewpoint that the recorded contents can be grasped only by highly specific users, such as parties to the conversation or parties closely related thereto.
As a consequence, when a certain user records the contents of an information service via an outside line and another user subsequently places an outgoing call for the same information service, the recording/playback function is rendered uneconomical since the earlier recorded information service is not put to practical use at all. Moreover, the recorded resources are not used effectively.
More specifically, if a user utilizes a chargeable audio information service such as a recording of a weather forecast, in the prior art the user himself places a call to central office line whenever this service is used. That is, when numerous users of the telephone apparatus utilize a chargeable audio information service such as the recording of a weather forecast, the telephone charge becomes very high because these users each place a call to central office line whenever this information service is utilized. On the other hand, in a case where the telephone apparatus is equipped with a voice recording device capable of recording and playback, a method is conceivable in which the service voice information which arrives at this device is recorded and provided to the user of the telephone apparatus. However, in a case where the conventional voice recording device records the voice information of the party communicating with the individual that started the device, this individual is the only one who hears the recorded voice information, as mentioned above. Since an unspecified large number of persons cannot listen to the voice information, it is impossible to utilize the voice recording device efficiently.
With a telephone apparatus in which calls are billed independently, there are instances in which the charges for some calls cannot be calculated accurately. For example, in the case of a Number Information Service, 30 yen is charged for one inquiry, but the telephone apparatus is incapable of determining how many inquiries were made by a single call and therefore the billing information is inaccurate.